Countries such as Australia, Canada, French, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Korean, Thailand, British and United States all contributes significant tourist growth for Hong Kong. This article presents some critical traveler tips for tourists so that you could enjoy more and have a wonderful trip to Hong Kong.

1. Personal Identity and Safety
Tourists must carry valid personal identity documentation such as passport during their stay in Hong Kong. Hong Kong is a very safe city according to the low crime rate. However, due to the densely population, it is not suggested to take a large amount of cash when going out since most of the shops in Hong Kong accepts credit cards. Expensive belongs should be locked in the safe in hotel. You could easily find policemen on the streets whenever you have encountered any problems.

2. Service Charges
Most of the restaurants except fast food shops will add 10% service charges to the bill. Therefore, you may choose to give out the odd dollars from the changes as the service tips. For taxi driver or bellboy in the hotel, there is no pre set norm for the service tips, you may choose to give out whenever you think the service is deserved for.

3. Telephone Service
All local telephone call is free except for the public telephone which charges HK$1 for every 5 minutes. Emergency call is 999 and it is free to call even in public telephone. You could either use IDD telephone call card or credit card for long distance call, or simply through operator for collect call in all public telephone counter.

4. Drinking Water
The drinking water in Hong Kong reaches World Health Organization standard. However, you may also choose to buy the bottle water in the supermarkets if you think it is necessary.

5. Taxi
All taxi only accept cash and they have invoice print out whenever you request. It is easier to catch the taxi in the taxi stop or outside the hotel. Many of the taxi drivers could understand simple English. It is suggest writing down your destination (in English) on paper to minimize misunderstandings. The taxi charges is based on the meter which is HK$15 for the first 2 Km and HK$1.4 for the subsequent 0.2 Km. Besides, there are tunnel charges ranging from HK$3-45 depends on which tunnel you have to take. The charging table is clearly shown on the inner side of the doors so you could check it before you pay. In case of any complaints or lost case, you may record down the name of the taxi driver and his license plate number which is clearly shown on the front seat stand, and reports to the police hotline: 2527 7177 whenever necessary.

6. Mass Transit Railway (MTR)
Hong Kong has 6 MTR routes, which covers most parts of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and New Territories.
Tsuen Wan Route: Tsuen Wan to Central
Kwun Tong Route: Yau Mat Tei to Tiu Keng Leng
Tseung Kwan O Route: North Point to Po Lam
Main Route: Sheung Wan to Chai Wan
Tung Chung Route: Tung Chung to Hong Kong
Airport Route: Airport to Hong Kong
Due to the convenience of MTR and the compact area of Hong Kong, most tourists find it is not necessary to rent car during their stay. Besides, due to the very heavy traffic and the complexity of the city roads, it is not recommended for tourists to drive. In case you really need car rental, you may consult your hotel, and be ready with your passport and driving license.

7. Kowloon Canton Railway (KCR)
The KCR is the major railway which links up the New Territories and the city of Kowloon. It runs through Tsim Sha Tsui East to Lo Wu which takes about 40 minutes for the whole route. Lo Wo is the final station which you could pass through to enter China with valid visa. The train will depart for every 3 to 10 minutes, and the earliest one will be started at 5:35 a.m. while the last one will be departed at 12:20 p.m. The ordinary fair and the first class fair are HK$18 and HK$36 respectively from Hung Hom to Sheung Shui.

8. Tram
The tram service has been started in 1904 and it is the oldest transportation system in Hong Kong. It only services the Hong Kong Island running from Kennedy Town to Shau Kei Wan plus another route to Happy Valley. The earliest tram starts at 6: 00 a.m. and run until 1:00 p.m. and the fair is HK$ 2 for adult and HK$ 1 for children under age12. It is the cheapest transportation in Hong Kong, and you are highly recommended to take a ride at the upper stairs so that you could enjoy all the street scenery of Hong Kong.

9. Star Ferry
The scenery of Hong Kong harbor is famous in the world, especially the night scenery. Besides, there is spectacular light show by the commercial buildings in the Hong Kong island at 8:00 p.m. every night which you must not miss. The Star Ferry has been serving on the harbor for more than 100 years, and the fair is less than HK$3 per rides. You could take the Star Ferry from Cental to Tsim Sha Tsui at around 8:00 p.m. You could enjoy the harbor scenery on the ferry and continue with the light show at the Starlight Road of Tsim Sha Tsui.

10. Hong Kong International Airport
The most convenient route to the Hong Kong International Airport is through the MTR which takes about 23 minutes from Central. It passes through stations of Kowloon, Olympic, Tsing Yi, and the train will be departed for every ten minutes. With the MTR, you would never miss the airplane due to the traditional traffic jam. Other than the MTR, you could take the Airport Bus which starts from 6:00 a.m. at the morning until 11:00 p.m. at night. It covers most part of Hong Kong Island and Kowloon with major hotels.

As you undoubtedly know, digital cameras have now all but replaced the conventional film cameras we’ve all grown up with. Since digital cameras rely on sophisticated computer boards and microprocessors that are more prone to damage by the elements such as water, the demand for waterproof digital cameras is very strong indeed.

Many occasions such as weddings, parties, and nightclubs where we want to take pictures are full of events that may endanger your precious camera. Among the more common dangers include spilled drinks, watery foods, swimming pools, toilet bowls, and sinks. These are events where a waterproof camera would be an ideal choice.

Fortunately, most if not all the manufacturers offer a waterproof version of thier most popular cameras for sale. In the event that one is not available, all is not lost. There are many protective cases and coverings, some even custom made for your camera, that you could use to protect your camera.

Of course there is the issue of the cost being higher for a waterproof camera, however, when you compare the small difference in cost, it is really not that large considering the benefits you will receive.

Given the choice between a standard digital camera and it’s waterproof counterpart, and assuming all other features are similar, it would seem that the waterproof camera would be a wiser choice. This would insure that your investment is secure and your camera will carry with it, the added peace of mind of knowing that you need not worry about the inevitable perils of water damage.

As always, be sure to check out the many resources available online to assist you in making the right buying decision.

Since just about everyone has a checking account it is important to know how to keep that account balanced properly. If you do not keep a close eye on your account then it could end up costing you a lot of extra money. If you write one check that you do not have enough to cover then it could spiral way out of control.

You will be charged a fee for the insufficient funds which may cause another check to be returned which causes more fees to be added on. This is one reason for keeping a close eye on your checking account. It really isn’t as hard as it may seem you just need to remember to keep a record of everything you spend no matter how small. Review your statements each month and compare them to your records.

The next big step that most people take is by receiving credit cards. Yes it is nice to be able to purchase items on credit, but you still have to pay for that luxury and with an added interest fee. Therefore, you need to be careful how you use your cards. This is very important when it comes to controlling your finances. Try to limit them to purchases that can be paid off within the thirty day period to avoid high interest rates. If you do owe a large balance then try to pay extra each month, not just the minimum payment. The more you pay the more money actually goes towards the balance saving you on interest. .

There are also a lot of smaller ways that you can help in controlling your finances. For example, be careful and control any shopping sprees you may be thinking about, even if it is for those Christmas presents. Phone bills can sometime be quite a shock so if you are making long distance calls keep a record so you will know how long you talk and how often. The same thing goes for cell phones, so be careful not to go over your minutes as this can add up very quickly.

Don’t go in debt for large items such as automobiles if you are not financial able to afford the payments. Be careful when investing in stocks and bonds make sure you understand exactly what you are investing in and the amount of risk involved. Following these tips can help you in controlling your finances.

Most of us made the switch to DVDs a long time ago as the medium of choice for viewing movies but many people do not care for their DVDs properly. Often the main culprit is just plain and simple dirt and grime. When you start calculating the expense for trying to replace your DVDs, it is a lot smarter to prevent the damage in the first place. In addition you will maintain much better viewing quality for as long as you own the DVD.

It’s important to realize that even though DVDs may seem more impervious to destruction than your old video tapes, they really aren’t and should be treated with similar care. If you will follow some simple rules to care for your DVDs they will last you forever.

So let’s take a look at some tips on how to care for your DVDs.

DO…
Handle discs by their edges only.
Remove discs from their containers carefully.
Replace discs in their containers immediately after use.
Store discs only in their supplied containers.
Keep discs well away from intense sources of heat.
Replace damaged containers immediately.
Clean playing surfaces with a clean, soft, lint free cloth.
Wipe playing surfaces only from centre to outside edge.
Load discs into a player’s draw carefully.
Only use cleaners recommended by specialist dealers.

DON’T…
Touch the playing surfaces of discs.
Leave discs lying around unprotected.
Leave discs inside players longer than necessary.
Use unproved solvents or abrasive cleaners to clean discs.
Bend, twist or distort discs in any way.
Pull discs out without relieving the centre clamp.
Use discs as drink coasters or small Frisbees.
Handle your DVD with pizza sauce on your hands.

There are a number of ways in which you can book your summer holiday and generally online is one of the best ways to go about it.

Booking a Summer Holiday

One of the first things that you need to do before you book your summer holiday, is to find out everything possible about where you want to go. This is because booking a holiday is not always as easy as it seems. You need to know where it is you want to travel to, whether you want package holidays or a self catering holiday and whether there will be children travelling with you. These questions need to be answered before you even look for a holiday as it will help to speed up the process of finding and booking one that you like.

Also, your destination’s popularity will make a difference to your booking. If the destination is extremely popular for example, it is obviously likely to get booked up early and so you will need to make a booking several months in advance.

Once you know where it is you want to go and how many people are going, you can then go ahead and book the holiday. Usually most people prefer to use the services of a travel agent when they book their vacation. This is because travel agents know a lot more than you do about the various hotels, flights and packages which may be on offer. They organize everything for you and that leaves you with more time to prepare for the vacation.

However, whilst travel agents may be extremely helpful, that help does tend to come at a price. This means that if you are on a budget then it would be cheaper to arrange everything yourself. These days it is quite simple to plan everything yourself as the Internet gives you everything that you need and you can book a holiday at just the click of a button. Do not forget that if you are arranging everything yourself, you will need to consider everything from travelling to accommodation and activities whilst you are there.

Overall booking a holiday is not always as simple as it seems and it can cause a lot of stress. It is easier to be prepared and to know where you are going, what you want to do and who is going with you before you start. Also remember that if you want to use the services of a travel agent then it does not come for free.

So it is obvious, that your credit card choice depends on your spending habits. However, your spending habits are greatly influenced by credit cards.

Psychological studies have shown that consumer behavior of those using credit is different from those paying with cash. The following experiment was conducted at one of the American universities. Two groups of people were bidding on the same items. Members of one group could only bid with cash, the others were allowed to bid only with credit cards. The result of the experiment was quite interesting. Those who could bid with credit cards ended up making bets twice as high as those made by participants paying with cash.

That means that every dollar spent with a credit card equals 50 cents spent in cash. In other words, people shopping with credit cards spend twice as much as those shopping cash. Why does this happen? Buying things is pleasant. Paying for them is not. Usually a consumer tries to find a balance so that the pleasure of having overweighs the pain of paying for it. When a credit card holder uses his or her plastic pleasant consumption transaction is disconnected from the unpleasant payment transaction.

Of course, you still have to pay for what you have bought. According to scientific data people dislike paying credit card bills even more than paying parking tickets. But still, people enjoy buying something with a credit card more.

Studies have shown that even a credit card logo on a catalogue or a debit card excites people. This is another wonderful way to increase sales and many merchants know that.
So are credit cards enticing you to overspend? Pretty much so. So are credit card-issuers to blame for the increased credit card debt? Well, that would not be quite fare to say so.
Even though a consumer seems to spend more with a credit card but most people are able to stop when they know they are about to exceed the limit. And we are not talking about credit card limit, but the limit they have set for themselves, something like ‘I won’t pay for a pair of shoes more than 100 bucks’. Credit cards might make you spend more but they do not force you to overspend.

Rather, high interest rates and fees and those unpleasant credit card bills make consumers stop. People do not like giving money, especially to banks. From this standpoint overspending is more likely to happen when shopping with cash than with a credit card.

Credit card can be very beneficial for consumers if used wisely. Of course, they sometimes make you to spend more, especially if you want to get a cash back or earn bonus miles. But the decision is always yours. You are the only one who can answer the crucial question – to spend, or not to spend…

In terms of your decoration you should have colors that make you feel good. If green is a color that makes you feel comfortable you should make gift part of your decoration. If you’re not sure about what colors make you feel relaxed just look through your closet.

You should also consider what kind of environments make you fill comfortable. If you are a homebody you may be better off having the party in your house. But if you enjoy spending an afternoon at a park you may have a better time organizing a party that takes place in a local park. If the beach is your favorite place, a beach party may be the best fit for you.

What kind of activity you will have at your party should be determined by the things you like to do. Do you enjoy watching movies? If yes, you can have a party where you and your friends can enjoy a good movie together. In addition, you could have your party themed around movie. For example, if the party has to do with the sea you may have an ocean themed party. The declaration, the food, the party favors, everything that you do and prepare for your party could revolve around the ocean theme.

Do you enjoy cooking? If yes, you can prepare your favorite food for your guests. If you don’t particularly enjoy cooking, you have several options. One, you can ask each guest to bring something they prepared themselves. Such a party makes for a great potluck.

Another option is for you to order out. Pizza is the obvious choice, but there are many restaurants offer food delivery. So, you can be very creative when it comes to ordering out. Yet another option is to ask some of your guests to help with the cooking.

Of course, you don’t want to start cooking roast beef half hour before the beginning of your party. But, but simple meals can be prepared quickly with the help of your friends. Who knows, with the help of your friends cooking may not be such a drag after all.

First you need to decide where to go, this year I have decided to go to Holland for my vacation. Once you have decided where you want to go on vacation, you can start to plan the things you want to see and do. In Holland I am interested in the Van Gogh museum, the Rembrandt museum and the Casino.

I have always enjoyed casinos, so this is going to be my first chance to go to a casino in Europe, so how can I pass up the chance to play some European Roulette, and I have been practicing at an online casino, ok I have to admit I have also been “practicing” poker and blackjack, please don’t tell my wife.

After you have figure out where you want to go and what you want to do when you are there, you can get a feel for where you want your hotel to be.

There are many different websites that offer the best prices on hotels, so make sure to check several of them before making a final decision. Most of these sites will offer pictures of the hotel facilities and the different rooms.

After looking at the hotels pick the top 3 and do a search on the internet for them. Try to find reviews from people that have stayed there before. The hotels site is always going to tell you how great the hotel is, but if someone were annoyed enough to trash a place or tell you how great it was, then you can be pretty sure they are telling you the truth.

The first hotel I was looking at for my Amsterdam trip said it was close to the center of the city, in a nice area, but reading reviews from former patrons told me the area was filled with drug addicts and homeless, and this is not really what I want to see on my vacation, so I found a much nicer location. It is a little farther from the city center but it is near the museums we want to go to, so by being closer to them we can get up early walk to the museums and spend the rest of the time walking around looking at the shops and attractions inside the city’s center.

Now all that is left is packing the right clothes. Unless you are going to someplace where the weather is always a constant, make sure to pack clothes for both good and bad weather. My trip is in a week and the weather is expected to me mostly sunny and in the 50’s but there is a chance of rain so I will be packing a coat for the rain, ad extra socks just in case.

If you are gong to be in Europe and plan to visit a casino you should know that in Europe casinos are more upscale then in the USA. They will not let you in wearing your shorts T shirt and sandals, most casinos require men to wear a tie and jacket or a turtleneck.

It is also always helpful to buy a travel guide for where ever you are going. Besides having helpful recommendations for things to see and places to eat, many of them offer discounts for attractions.

Well the only thing left is to go and have a good time, I know I will.

There are some people that believe that there are certain personal characteristics that can help to determine if you are responsible enough to have a credit card or if you should hold off on getting one.

1. Excessive spender-are you an excessive spender? Do you have a problem with spending too much money? If so, than you should hold off on getting a credit card. Credit cards are great to have for an emergency or the occasional purchase, but not all of the time and for everyday use; unless you can keep up with the bills.

2. Previous Credit cards-Do you have several other credit cards that you have fallen behind on and/or are over limit on? If this is you, than maybe you should also hold off on getting a credit card unless you cut some of the others or pay some off.

3. Consistently late on payments-Are you ALWAYS late on payments on your bills or other purchases? This is another sign that maybe you should not have a credit cards just yet.

There are several credit cards out there specifically for those that have bad credit or no credit at all, but even if you are one of those people, think before you get a credit card. You do not want to get yourself in even more debt. Try and pay other things off first.

Above I have listed three personal characteristics that are great in helping to determine if you are ready for a credit card or not. If you fall under one or two of these characteristics, make sure you think twice before signing on the dotted line, otherwise; sign away, just don’t over do it on the spending and make sure you keep up with your purchases.

If you have to drive for 5 hrs first you may want to get a good night sleep, and maybe take some Tylenol pm or something else to make you drowsy. Many people like to get a little drunk on a flight, I am not one of them, but if it helps you relax and get some sleep then I say go for it, just don’t allow yourself to drink to the point where you become an obnoxious drunk on a plane.

My next tip is to get to the airport 3 hours in advance, this is for 2 reasons. By getting there so early I am always one of if not the first to actually check in for my flight, which usually gets me a good seat, and I don’t have to wait in long lines. The other reason for always getting to the Airport at least 3 hours before your flight is, if you check in early you cant get bumped from the plane, the people who get there last minute sometime hear the words overbooked.

Things to pack in your carry on:

When ever possible I try to avoid putting things under the plane, but sometimes it is unavoidable, depending on how long I am going away for. What you take with you on the plane can make a big difference between having a pleasant flight and being so unbelievable bored that you go mad.

I always make sure to bring a fully charged MP3 player, my MP3 player hold 20 gigs of music so I never have to go into my bag to chance a CD or a memory card, and I have way more music to listen to then time to listen to it. This way I have the music for any mood I may be in, so I just load it up and listen as I fall asleep on the plane.

Just incase I cant sleep I will also make sure to bring a book with me, if for whatever reason I can not fall asleep which does happen to me, I like to take my mind off things by getting lost in a good story, but something light and entertaining, I have always found a good Action book or even Science Fiction to be good for that.

I also recommend bringing a thick soft sweater with you on the plane, this can be used if it is cold on the plane, or you can use it as an extra pillow.

I like to play video games, so I travel with one of the new hand held video games everywhere I go, so if I am not in the mood for reading I can play some games and keep myself occupied, and that really is the key. Keep yourself busy on the plane and you will be amazed at how fast the flight goes, if you stare at the clock and focus on the planes progress it will feel like forever.